


Back in the Game

by JehBeeEh



Series: Stony Bingo 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adorable Steve Rogers, Adorable Tony Stark, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Banter, Dialogue Heavy, Friends to Lovers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Isolation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: I Am Iron Man: StEvE!I Am Iron Man: STEEVE!!!!Capsicle: Lol, needy much? What’s up, Tony?I Am Iron Man: turn on ur Playstation.Capsicle: Tones, I’m busy.I Am Iron Man: but I have a surpriiiiiiiiiise!!!!!!
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Stony Bingo 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688347
Comments: 18
Kudos: 173
Collections: Captain America/Iron Man Bingo





	Back in the Game

**Author's Note:**

> First off: This is set in current times. It is not mentioned, but it is implied that they are currently apart because of self-isolation requirements due to current pandemic events. It is not mentioned explicitly, it was really just a means to an end, but be warned.
> 
> And, this was for my Stony Bingo square S4 - which is an image from the Captain America and Friends video game. This is my interpretation of that...

_I Am Iron Man: StEvE!  
I Am Iron Man: STEEVE!!!!_

_Capsicle: Lol, needy much? What’s up, Tony?_

_I Am Iron Man: turn on ur Playstation._

_Capsicle: Tones, I’m busy._

_I Am Iron Man: but I have a surpriiiiiiiiiise!!!!!!_

_Capsicle: Can you wait like, 20 minutes? Helping my ma with something…_

_I Am Iron Man: fine… hard to say no when u’re being an adorably good son. message me before u turn it on._

_Capsicle: I’m worried, but okay. Ttyl!_

_I Am Iron Man: look at u, using the acronyms I showed u!  
I Am Iron Man: my little ol’ man is, well, acting his age._

_Capsicle: Ha ha – leave me alone, or it’ll take longer._

_*20 minutes later*_

_Capsicle: Ok, I’m about to turn it on… what’s up?_

_I Am Iron Man: just wait for it…_

_Capsicle: What did you do…..?  
Capsicle: Tony, is that a SNES emulator on my PS4??_

_I Am Iron Man: SURPRISE!! turn on ur headset…_

“Tony, what did you do?!” Steve asked the moment he got on the audio chat.

“Are you mad?” Tony answered, truly unsure what Steve was thinking.

“I… I don’t know?! You hacked my PS4!” Steve replied simply and Tony wished he could see him. For more reasons than one, but still. “Does that void the warranty or something?”

“You are seriously such an old man. I’ll buy you a new one if something happens, don’t worry, but I wish you had a bit more faith in me, you know. As for the game, you just mentioned that you missed playing that stupid Avengers game the other day, and I had an emulator on my computer, thought there might be a way to make it work on the PS4 somehow, and I tried it on mine. Well, Rhodeys, but only ‘cause mine hasn’t been delivered yet. And, anyways, you fell asleep while we were playing Madden a few days ago, so I figured out a way to get it installed on yours too, and it worked… I just wanted to make you smile in the middle of all this bullshit. I can fix it, I’m sorry.”

“No, Tony. I’m not mad. Not really,” Steve sighed, his voice soft. “I just… I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed you, that’s all. And this reminded me of how you can be _you_. Thanks.”

“Miss you too, Winghead. So, we gonna play this stupid game, or what?” Tony asked, a small smile growing on his lips at Steve’s admission.

“You’re the one who installed it on here, you can’t badmouth it!”

“I did, and I can, and I will. It is a dumb game.”

“It isn’t dumb. You’re just mad cause I always get a better score than you.”

“Apparently your muscles are good for more than looking pretty, they’re great for button mashing a controller too.”

“Oh, you wound me, Stark!”

“That’s my line, Rogers.”

“Guess you’re rubbing off on me.”

They played a few rounds, Tony always losing out on highest score to Steve and his beloved Captain America character. Their easy banter brought a smile to Tony’s lips and he missed Steve even more than he was willing to admit. When their schools had told them they had to go back home, Tony had been devastated, knowing he probably wouldn’t see Steve until the Fall now if he had to go back to California to stay with Howard. Thankfully, Rhodey’s family had agreed to let him stay with them in New York, so once all this self-isolation business was over, he’d get to see Steve again, plus he got to hang out with Rhodey every day. It was a win-win so far, considering the state of the world. Knowing Steve was a few minutes away in Brooklyn instead of across the country definitely helped. Not that he’d ever acknowledge that, really.

“How the hell do you always get such freaking high scores, it is not fair!” Tony exclaimed after their fifth level of Steve destroying him. Even playing on the same team, with the same end goal, he still had a competitive streak and wanted to show off a bit.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Steve chuckled. “Guess brains have nothing to do with being good at video games.”

“You’ll need to let me be the famed Captain America one of these days. Maybe that’s the secret.”

“Nah, I think I could still beat you as Iron Man, Shellhead.” Steve spoke to someone else in a hushed tone, Tony having an idea who it might be before Steve came back on. “Hey, Tony, I have to go, ma is getting ready for her shift at the hospital, just wanna go say bye.”

“Yeah, no worries! How is your mom doing, by the way? You guys holding up okay?” Tony asked, knowing it had been worrying Steve.

“Yeah, she’s good. It’s pretty stressful but could be worse. We’re both healthy, that’s what counts, right?” Steve replied, his voice betraying the optimism he was trying to convey, which only made Tony want to hug him even more.

“For sure. Say hi for me. And, let me know if you want a rematch later?”

“Sounds good. And Tony, thanks for this. It was fun. I meant it earlier… I do miss seeing you every day.”

“It’s nothing, Steve. Text me later.”

Tony took off his headset, looking down at it, and then the game that was still on the screen, smiling at himself. It was definitely nothing compared to getting to play with Steve in his dorm room in college. Having the blond pressed up against his side in the too small space while they played, elbowing one another playfully, Steve cheering too loudly when they won, Tony tackling him when Steve beat his score for the millionth time. How Steve smiled so sweetly at him making his heart absolutely melt. The way those ocean blue eyes of his sparkled looking down at Tony. Feeling Steve’s strong muscles against his body when he’d inevitably pass out on him at some point in the middle of the night. He loved those nights the best because Steve would move him to his bed, and sometimes he wouldn’t be completely asleep yet, and would relish the way Steve would lift him so effortlessly, his strong arms wrapped tightly around him, and yet, be so delicate when he’d lay him on his bed. His mind had even imagined that he’d kiss his hair sometimes, but there was no way that was real, it had to have been a hand or his pillow ruffling his hair and his brain playing tricks on him. And the few times he’d woken up to Steve pressed up against his back, the other man claiming he’d been too tired to walk back the short distance in the cold; those memories were etched in his brain forever.

“So, do you plan on ever telling him?” Rhodey was standing in the doorway to the room Tony was occupying at his parents’ house. Tony had been so caught up in reliving his favourite Steve memories he didn’t even hear his best friend open the door.

“Tell who what now? I have no clue what you’re talking about, Rhodeybear,” Tony answered innocently, knowing full well what and who he was talking about.

“Seriously, Tony. At some point, you’ll need to tell him you didn’t do all this just for fun. I think he’d want to know.”

“I don’t think that’s correct but thank you for your concern.” Tony was trying to keep his tone in check, frustrated that Rhodey would bring it up again. They had this conversation at least once a week.

“Tones, seriously. This is _Steve_ we’re talking about! I have no doubt he feels the same way you do…”

“Oh do you now? And what makes you think that?”

“Come on, have you not noticed all the little things he does for you? He is worse than me at trying to make sure you are fed and presentable on a daily basis. He will go out of his way to bring you coffee on days when he knows you’ve stayed at the MIT Labs too long. No one else ever sleeps over at our dorm, except him. I would be willing to bet he is as smitten with you as you are with him!”

“First of all, I am not _smitten_. Who says that?! And, second, what if he isn’t, huh?” Tony dropped his gaze to his hands, still holding his headset. He frowned as he considered the implications of telling Steve the truth. “What if I tell him that I have been head over heels for him since the second week of college, and his answer is that he’s not interested in me like that, huh? Rhodey, I don’t want to mess up what we have now for a maybe. Steve is too important to me for that. I’d rather be stuck staying his friend than risk losing him completely. I’d rather have a little bit of him than not at all. What’s so hard to understand about that?”

“Um… Tony…” a muffled voice came from Tony’s headset.

“Platypus, please tell me that was somehow you, and that it did not come from my headset...” Tony whispered, panic setting in.

“Nope, not me. Think you might want to talk to Steve.” Rhodey pushed off the door frame and exited the room with a smirk.

“Hey Steve… So, how much of that did you hear?” Tony winced at the thought. How had this day escalated so horribly?

“Well, I, um, never left my room, cause ma just came in to say she had to leave, and she ran off, so… I heard the whole thing.” Steve admitted.

“Well shit,” Tony breathed out. “Listen, Steve –“

“Tony, look –“

The both started and stopped at the same time before Tony urged Steve on.

“Tony, the only thing I am regretting right now is that we can’t have this conversation in person. So, I guess I really just regret not telling you this sooner, in a way. Although, maybe it’ll be easier to say it if I can’t see you. Who knows really…”

“Steve, can you just get it over with please?” Tony asked, his voice quiet.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to ramble. I have wanted to ask you out since the first day I met you, Tony. But I couldn’t get the words out that first time, ‘cause you were talking circles around me and I felt like you were way out of my league. And, every time I saw you after that, was more of the same. I’ve spent the past year and a half I guess now, just wanting to ask you on a date every single day and being too scared to because I was worried _you_ wouldn’t want to go out with me.”

“I’m sorry, I think the line is fuzzy, or I’m having a stroke and not hearing you properly…”

Steve chuckled. “You heard me right, Tony. I feel like an idiot now, for not asking you. I would give anything right now to be able to take you out on a date, or even just hold you in my arms. See your face while I tell you how absolutely crazy I am about you. I wish-“ Tony could hear Steve take a long breath. “I wish I could finally kiss you.”

“You want to kiss me?”

“Of course, I do. You have no idea how cute you are, do you? How hard it was to resist just wrapping you in my arms and kissing you for hours on end? I, um… this is silly, but I would sometimes kiss you goodnight when you would fall asleep on my shoulder and I’d move you to your bed. Not on the lips or anything. But,” Steve sighed, and Tony’s heart skipped a beat, knowing how he looked when he sighed that way, with the cutest half smile, and usually a bit of pink tinting his cheeks, “I wanted to. I still do. Might be the first thing I do when we can finally see each other again.”

“I really liked waking up with you next to me, you know. Rhodey was right, you take really good care of me, and I miss that. I miss you a lot. And, I wish I could kiss you too, Steve.”

They were both quiet for a few breaths, Tony smiling broadly at the thought that someday, hopefully soon, he would finally get to experience what kissing Steve felt like, wondering if his lips really were as soft as he imagined them to be.

“Hey Tony? I know it’s not like the real thing, and I promise I will take you out on a real date the moment I can leave my house again, but do you think we can maybe have a dinner date sometime? Maybe watch a movie together?”

“Yeah. I’d really like that.”

“In the meantime, want to play another round of the Captain America game?”

“Depends, are you going to let me win?”

Steve burst out laughing, making warmth bloom in Tony’s chest at the sound. “We are literally on the same team! Just because I cause more damage and get the high score does not mean you lose.”

“Wow. Won’t even take one for the team and let your boyfriend win a round, huh Cap?”

“Um… Boyfriend?”

“Oh shoot, I said that. I’m sorry. I ruined it already, didn’t I?”

“You ruined nothing, Tony. I like the sound of that. Very much, actually.”

“Okay. Good. That’s good. Still not gonna let me win?”

“Still not gonna let you win.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this fluffy little piece :)


End file.
